Central North Carolina is a wonderful place to garden. Almost any type of vegetable or fruit can be grown successfully provided you choose appropriate varieties and plant at the right time. The climate, the season, and potential pests all affect the selection of what and when to plant.

To improve sustainability, farmers use intensive production systems such as mulches, floating row covers as well as low tunnels and high tunnels to protect against cold temperatures and extend the production season (figure 1) (Arancibia 2009 and 2012; Carey et al. 2009; Pool and Stone 2014). These systems involve an increase in production cost, so farmers usually grow high-value specialty crops to ensure a return on investment.